Divergent Fates
by TheEffectstOfBoredom
Summary: A single decision can change the course of history when fighting for the throne of a god. After his betrayal at the hand of Sixth, Yuki discovers just how blurry the lines between friend and foe can become.


How does one cope with seeing their favorite character killed off with far too little screen time? By writing fanfiction of course! Anyway, this might be an uncommon pairing, but I can actually see it working had things gone differently during episode five. Perhaps not as optimistically as is written here, but I feel like the possibility is there. Maybe? A little bit? No...? Okay...

Anyway, given that Tsubaki's background is a lot more serious than most of the characters I've written for, I want to apologize if I've done something seriously wrong in this instance. I don't have a lot of experience with people who've gone through things like that, so I'm not certain how far removed from reality this is.

WARNING: This story contains lemon. Proceed at your own risk.

 _Future Diary is the property of it's respective owners. This story is merely a work of fiction. I own nothing._

* * *

It was all falling apart for Tsubaki Kasugano.

To think that her whole plan had started so well. Named sixth in the survival game which would determine who would become the new god of time and space, she'd soon found herself in danger as her Clairvoyance Diary's Dead End warning was triggered. Far from being crippled by such a turn of events, she'd turned the threat on her life into a means of wiping out a large portion of the eleven remaining competitors in one fell swoop.

At first, it had gone without a hitch. The would-be assassin had made several attempts to kill her only to be thwarted by First, Yukitero Amano, and Second, Yuno Gasai, both of whom had been convinced to lend their aid in exchange for the captured Ninth.

When Twelfth revealed himself as the one seeking her death, he'd quickly been struck down twofold. First by Yuno's borrowed ax opening his throat, and second by the bomb he'd swallowed in a misguided attempt at murdering Sixth with the final moments of his life going off and blasting his body to nothing.

The difficult part was over. Her assassin foiled. Her death avoided. What came next was meant to be the easy aftermath. With her followers freed from the crazed man's hypnosis, she was quick in having both Yuki and Yuno subdued to ensure that they wouldn't be able to fight back, leaving her to dispatch the two of them at her leisure.

But it had all spiraled out of control from there. Seeing First's pitiable naivety in the face of her betrayal, mixed with Second's infuriating devotion had been too much for her to bear. She'd been made to endure the other girl's unbridled hostility for too long, and in an attempt to both strike her where it hurt and kill some of that undeserved innocence in her boy-toy's eyes, Sixth had stolen a kiss from him in plain view of everyone.

Hubris. Hubris was the downfall of even the greatest empire, and she'd just learned that the hard way. In a fit of rage, the pink haired psychopath had actually managed to break free from her cultists and cut off her right hand with the same weapon that had ended twelfth's life before shoving First away so that he might make his escape in the confusion. With Tsubaki too consumed by the pain of having her limb violently parted from her body, and her followers too preoccupied with trying to help, nobody had seen where the boy had gone. Yuno however, had collapsed from exhaustion moments later, leaving her with at least a hostage to show for her botched backstabbing.

In truth, it wouldn't have been that terrible had it not been for one thing. She'd certainly never expected to get through the war without a scratch, and losing a hand was a small price to pay for ascending to godhood. First wasn't going anywhere now that Sixth had his friend in her custody. With the one trying to kill her removed, all she had to worry about was a single desperate boy whose guardian was in no position to save him anymore. She had the power. She had the positioning. She had the will.

But her Dead End warning hadn't disappeared.

In a cruel mockery of reason, the bitter calligraphic letters spelling out her death leered up at her as she clenched her scroll in a white knuckled grip. She hardly even felt it as her severed stump was being treated by one of her followers. She was losing blood, but all she could bring herself to care about was the writing splayed out in her lap.

Brushing off the warnings of her followers, she directed her hate-fueled gaze towards the captive girl glaring bloody murder at her from across the room. Yuno, who'd shown herself to kill without a second thought. Who'd cut off her hand and ruined what should have been a crushing victory in one moment of madness. She had the sheer nerve to look so angry, as though _she_ were the one who had a right to visit vengeance upon Tsubaki and not the other way around.

All because of one, damned, kiss.

Sixth forced herself to calm down, driving the lancing anguish of her bloody wrist into a dull ache in the back of her mind. Pain was something she was intimately familiar with, and this was hardly the first time she'd needed to push past it. Stilling the turbulent waters of her increasingly unstable emotional state, she considered how best regain control of the situation.

A chilling, heartless part of her mind informed her of the simplest route. She needed to lure Yuki out of hiding, and the best way of doing that would be to make his friend into bait.

Years of abuse and terrible suffering had taught her just how cruel her 'devotees' could be. If she gave the order, not one of them would hesitate to force themselves on the deranged girl in their midst. She could use that. Broadcast the sounds of her violation over the loudspeakers and force First out of hiding. He was too young, too childish to possible hide when something so terrible was happening to someone he cared about. He'd step right into her den where, surrounded by those under her authority, he'd most certainly meet his end. Preferably in full view of Gasai.

She dwelled on that image. Coldly calculating just how effective it would be. A distant part of herself that remembered the girl she'd once been rebelled against the idea of subjecting another to the torment she'd endured, but it was a small and easily ignored fraction of her mind.

She could do it. She could drive the two of them to that extreme, pushing them to the breaking point and capitalizing on their inevitable downfall. However, the longer she sat thinking on it, the less appealing it became.

It wasn't pity for Yuno, nor mercy for her opposition that stayed her hand. Rather, it was the scroll still resting on her legs. Her Dead End warning was in full effect, meaning that her life was hanging in the balance. She couldn't afford another mistake. Her first had cost her a hand, and her next could take away so much more.

She needed… She needed….

She didn't know what she needed.

For the first time in a very long while, Tsubaki Kasugano was at a loss for what to do.

Her heart lurched with an all too familiar feeling of helplessness. She hated it. Hated the knowledge that her life was balanced so precariously in the next few hours. Hated the world that had broken her down to this level, leaving her crushed under the weight of all she'd lost. She hated everything. She hated everyone. But her hate wasn't going to save her. Not this time. She needed to do something…

"My lady." Her assistant interjected more forcefully than she had the first time. "Your arm still needs to be properly treated. Please, allow me to tend to it in the bathhouse where we can wash out the wound. It won't do any good stand and fight here if you die of infection later."

To most others, it would have been an absurd offer. Move away from the safety of her most fortified position in order to treat an injury while one looking to end her life was prowling about. For Tsubaki however, it wasn't nearly so unreasonable.

Her Clairvoyance Diary allowed her to see through the eyes of all her followers, effectively making up a nigh-impregnable grid through which it would be next to impossible for one such as Yuki to pass by unnoticed. It might even be to her benefit. With Yuno here, this would be the obvious place for him to come. As much as she wished to see him beaten before her own eyes, the safer option might to be to avoid exposing herself as much as possible.

"Perhaps you're right." She conceded causing the young woman to blink in surprise. It seemed she hadn't been expecting her to agree. "I want five of you to remain here and keep that girl under control. The rest are to fan out looking for First. Form a patrol around the perimeter and make certain that he's not able to move around freely."

Gathering up her Diary in her left hand, Tsubaki slowly rose to her feet as her followers moved to obey. She was tempted to leave more to keep Yuno down, but surely even someone like her had a limit to how many she could fight off, right?

As her attendant took a gentle hold of her shoulder to guide her to the bathhouse, she cast one last look over to the pink haired girl. Even through the blurry outline brought on by her own weak eyesight, the hard, cold expression that had taken shape on Second's face was painfully clear. It said only one thing.

 _I'm going to kill you._

Suppressing a small shudder, Tsubaki allowed herself to be led away.

It wasn't strictly necessary for her to have a guide. Despite her poor vision, she'd lived her whole life in this temple. Even with her imprisonment, she knew every twist and turn it provided, and could walk it blindfolded if she really had to.

But she didn't move to shake off the woman's touch. It was reassuring in a way. Solidifying. It told her that she wasn't facing this threat alone. Despite the fact that she loathed the cultists as much as the rest of the damnable invisible world, she also knew they were here to protect her. She needed that in this moment. She needed to feel protected.

The walk didn't last long, and though it was difficult to keep her scroll balanced in the crook of her crippled arm while holding it open, she kept constant vigil on the reports of all her followers. Nothing. Nothing. More nothing. It was a waiting game. With the police safely trapped outside the walls of her temple, it would all come down to how soon Yuki's patience would run out. One mistake on her part was all it had taken to turn her plan on its head, and one mistake from him was all she needed to turn this back around.

Someone must have been planning on cleaning before the attack had begun, as she was greeted by a warm blast of steam as soon as the duo entered the baths. The tub had already been filled, and was still quite hot despite having been left behind when chaos had broken loose.

"Sit here please, my lady." The aid requested, drawing up a stool. Tsubaki complied wordlessly, laying out her Diary to one side and keeping it in the corner of her vision. Her eyes never fully left the paper lest she miss the opportunity she was looking so desperately for. A mild splashing sound reached her ears as the woman filled a bucket with water from the tub. Coming back to where she was seated, the aid knelt down beside her injured limb and began soaking a fresh cloth taken from nearby in the water.

"Please, hold out your arm." She offered. "This will likely hurt, but we need to clean the area and change the bandages before we can begin in earnest."

Sixth simply nodded. When her wrappings were removed and the waterlogged cloth made contact with her ruined wrist, sending shockwaves of agony through her system, she merely grit her teeth and forced it all down. She'd felt the pain so many times in the past already that this was nothing more than a routine by now.

Time and again, the woman would carefully anoint her stump the warm water. Time and again, she'd clean it off in the bucket only to repeat the process. She held constant pressure on the injured area to keep the bleeding to a minimum.

After what felt like a nightmarish eternity, the cleaning stopped. By now, the bucket and cloth were stained so crimson that Tsubaki doubted they would ever be free from the markings of her blood. She allowed herself a silent breath of relief as both were moved away and she no longer had to endure their ministrations.

Her reprieve was short, as the aid soon took out fresh bandages and began to rewrap her severed limb. Once again, Sixth was made to force down the pain of having her wound contacted without the aid of anesthesia. Despite her resolve, it was enough to bring tears to her eyes due to the pressure as the fabric was tightened.

"I'm sorry my lady." The woman offered, sounding genuinely apologetic. "But we're going to have to repeat this in a short while. I don't have the proper medicines and balms with me to treat your injury at the moment, so I need to tie this firmly to prevent any more blood loss."

Tsubaki merely grunted, focusing on nothing more than stomaching the reward for her earlier overconfidence. It didn't take long for the arm to be once again wreathed in clean gauze, and the aid rose from position on the floor.

"Please, don't try to move too much." She said calmingly. "I'll go fetch another of the faithful to help and guard you while I get the supplies I need. Until then, stay safe and don't hesitate to call for aid should you need it."

Her words weren't strictly necessary given the circumstances, but Tsubaki nodded mechanically regardless.

"Very well." She offered by way of dismissal. With a respectful bow, the woman exited the room to go about finishing her business.

Sixth didn't watch her go. Her eyes were still rooted to her Diary, determined to pick out even the smallest alert as soon as it went up. She would not be caught off guard again.

Fate had different plans.

Seven seconds after her helper had closed the door and departed, Tsubaki's ears were greeted with a loud bang from outside the room followed by the heavy thump of a body dropping to the ground.

Her mind shot into overdrive. It was her aid no doubt. She had been the only one near enough to cause the sound. The first was likely her head being struck against the wall, and the second was that of her falling. Either unconscious, or dead, given the lack of further struggling. For Sixth's purpose, the distinction made little difference.

Forgetting the ache of her wound, she quickly darted to her feet, frantically looking for an out. How had this happened!? None of her guards had been alerted. There had been no sightings, and now she was caught alone. Had he really managed to slip through their guard so easily!?

No. She couldn't' afford to dwell on that. She was stuck in the bathhouse with one still looking to end her life closing in quickly. Her Dead End warning was still in effect, and if something wasn't done fast, it would soon come to fruition.

She was alone. She was very, _very_ , vulnerable.

There was nowhere to hide her Diary effectively on such short notice. She stood, putting herself between the door and her precious item, using her body as a shield. Whether it would make a difference or not wasn't clear, but it was all she could think to do.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she made to face the most recent development of this horrid night.

She could only pray to a god she didn't believe in that it wouldn't be her last.

* * *

Yuki braced himself as he carefully stepped past the woman's fallen form. He hadn't expected such a clean takedown, but adrenaline, surprise, and a bit of luck, had proved enough to knock her out cold before she had a chance of stopping him.

It had been surprisingly simple to elude the guards. Having Yuno's Diary with him was a godsend, and between that and his own, he'd managed to pick out each danger zone and progress through them without anyone catching wind of his actions. He knew that if even one caught a glimpse of his movements, it was all over, but his Diary had yet to show him a Dead End warning, which meant that the ball was in his court, at least for the time being.

He was the hunter this time, and he wasn't about to let such a rare commodity go to waste.

His first instinct had been to go and free Yuno. Thanks to the information of his Indiscriminate Diary, he knew exactly where he had to go in order to find her, but doing so wouldn't solve this problem by itself.

What he needed to do was stop Sixth. So long as she was around, this game of cat and mouse would go on and on, exposing both of them to more danger.

It had been incredibly unexpected to find out that she was in here and not surrounded by her henchmen, but Yuki wasn't about to look such a gift horse in the mouth. It made his strategy even simpler, and he had only one threat to deal with.

Pocketing Yuno's Diary and keeping his own in his free hand, he fished a dart out of the satchel he wore. Taking a deep breath to steel his nerves, he reached for the door to the bathhouse. It was time to end this. He just needed one clean shot.

Throwing it open, he stormed inside.

His actions had the desired effect. Tsubaki was already standing upon his entrance, likely having heard his minor scuffle outside, but the force of his movement caused her to jump and stumble backwards several steps. In the split second he had to take in the room, he suddenly understood why she'd come here at all.

A bucket was placed off to one side with a bloodied cloth hanging from its lip. The hand that Yuno had cut off earlier was bandaged up tight, and judging by the relatively clean coloring, it was a fresh set. She'd needed to have her injury treated. It was because of Yuno that he was finding her here and not guarded by her cult. Mentally, the thanked his unstable friend for her overzealous affections.

There was just one problem. Sixth had put herself in front of her Diary to prevent it from being an exposed target. Since there were no more of her followers around, she couldn't use it to gain an advantage, and her strength had become a liability. So long as she was standing there, he wasn't going to be able to strike out at it forcing her to move.

Part of him wanted to throw the dart regardless. He could hit her with it, and as many more as she could handle, until she simply doubled over in pain and gave him the target he was looking for.

That idea was discarded as quickly as it had come. Yuki considered himself a lot of things, but excessively cruel was not one of them. Trying to kill them or not, Tsubaki was still a relatively young girl and he had no intention of turning her into a pincushion prior to killing her unless his hand was forced.

For several tense second, they stood in a deadlock, both of their eyes burning with desperate determination.

"You shouldn't have come here…" She said at last, glaring at him with an intensity that would have made him quake in another time. "I can call on all of my guards, and they'll stop you. There's nothing you can do from here."

He saw through her bluff immediately. Even had her voice not been stained by anger and worry, he wasn't so terrified as to have his judgment clouded.

"If you could do that, you'd have done it already." He shot back, finding some satisfaction in the way he'd managed to keep his voice steady.

She lapsed back into silence with a noise that might either have been a hiss or a whimper.

There was no clear solution to their standoff. If either moved incorrectly, they could open themselves up to their opponent's attack. Yuki didn't dare check his Diary openly in this situation for fear of giving her something to lash out at should he falter.

Breathless seconds ticked by as the tension stretched more and more between them. He could feel it. Each breath was like a lead weight in his chest, knowing that a split second could make the difference between life and death. This fight would be decided in an instant.

As the pressure built up, he felt a pang of some wounded emotion lancing through his heart. Earlier this day, he'd seen her in such a different light. She'd been calm. Reasonable. Amiable even. Though they hadn't shared all that much time together, he'd still started to trust her just as he thought she'd trusted him as they fought to keep her safe. He'd even spotted her blushing at one point.

And she'd turned it all on its head in a single instant. He didn't know how much of her previous demeanor was real and how much was just a ruse to use the two of them, but seeing her true colors had hurt him in a way he didn't care to describe.

"Why…?"

It took a moment for Yuki to even realize he'd spoken, but once he did, he felt the words starting to pour from his mouth.

"Why did you do it?" He demanded, his gaze hardening. "We were on your side! We protected you! Was it all fake!? Just a way for you to get closer to godhood!? Did any of it mean anything to you at all!?"

Her one visible eye smoldered with barely restrained rage at his accusations. He was making too much noise, but he no longer cared. This was something he needed to know. Both Yuno and the police officer had put aside the stupid rules of this demented game for the sake of doing the right thing. Why couldn't she?

"Answer me damn it!"

* * *

Sixth could barely believe what she was hearing. Was he really this stupid? Was he really this ignorant? This was a game of survival based around killing the competition without being killed yourself. Did he actually think that she was going to surrender her chance to take revenge on this filthy world just because of a few generous actions?

His innocence was maddening. He had no right to it. Nobody did. Not after her own had been robbed so brutally.

"Answer me damn it!"

She gave a jolt at the volume of his voice. He was shouting now, but she knew that destiny was too cruel a mistress to have blessed her with one of her followers being in earshot. Nobody was supposed to have made it this far in, and those who served her were still diligently looking for a foe that was no longer in their midst.

She could feel his anger, and it drove her own through the roof. Her blood felt like molten lead burning in her veins. How _dare_ he look at her with such condemnation. How _dare_ he think he has the right to judge her without having even known the meaning of pain.

"You don't know anything!" She spat viciously, clenching her remaining hand. "Who are you to come in here and start demanding answers!? You think the other two are your friends, but they'll turn on you just like I did! There can only been one left standing by the end of this, remember!? What makes you believe you and they are above that rule!?"

"I don't care about the rules!" He said, slamming the fist clenching his dart into the wall. "I'm not a murderer! I didn't want any of this! I don't care about this game, and I don't care about becoming a god! I just want to live!"

Though much of his figure was blurry to her gaze, she could make out the mash of color that was his eyes narrowing.

"You're just like Ninth, aren't you…?" He accused softly. "You're just another selfish witch willing to kill whoever gets in your way. I'd thought we were friends, but we're just objects to you, aren't we?"

Objects? _Objects!?_

She couldn't take it anymore. Couldn't take his insufferable attitude, or his childish beliefs. She did the only thing she could.

She snapped.

"What do you know about being an object!?" She screamed, causing him to flinch at the venom in her voice. "What do you know about being hurt!? You think that being stabbed in the back is painful!? Do you have ANY idea what real pain feels like!?"

He opened his mouth to retort, but she cut him off before his words could even take shape.

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you exactly what it is! It's waking up to hear that both of your parents are dead! It's knowing that you'll never see either of them again no matter how terrified you are. It's being reduced to an animal for the sick pleasures of the cult you're trapped by! Do you want to know what the price is to join!?"

She was losing control of herself, but she simply couldn't stop. She had to make him understand. To kill the light in his eyes. To submerge him in the misery she'd been forced to endure for so long.

With a vicious gesture, she tore open the front of her kimono and threw the clothing to the ground. In two more, she ripped of her undergarments and bared herself before the shocked young man.

"This! This is the price!" She shouted, practically shaking the walls with her rage. "To hold me down and violate me! To ensure their loyalty to the faith! I'm their martyr! Their sacrificial lamb! Don't you DARE talk to me about being an object, _because you have no idea what it's like!_ "

Tears were flowing freely down her face, but she made no move to wipe them away. Her outburst had shocked him to stillness, and the fury that had taken hold of her senses was slowly starting to ebb away.

"I lost everything…" She stated coldly. "I lost my parents. I lost my virginity. And when I thought I had nothing else to lose, I even lost my mother's handball…"

A silent sob wracked her frame as she looked down, closing her eyes against the tide that was rising her in heart.

"The one thing I had left… and now… this is all I have… I need to make them all disappear… to wipe it all away… so that it never happens again…"

* * *

There had been many different iterations of what could have happened that Yuki had prepared himself for. This wasn't one of them. Tsubaki, Sixth, stood in front of him stripped of her clothing and shaking with the turbulent mixture of anger and anguish that was running through her mind. Each word she spoke was like a dagger of ice in his heart, piercing him with deadly force.

He didn't know what to say. He didn't know if there was anything he _could_ say. From the first moment he'd seen her sitting in that cage he'd known that something about her was off. Her words during her betrayal only reinforced those suspicions, but never had he thought of something like this.

His thoughts shifted to Keigo. Just what the hell had the police been doing while this had been going on? Had they really never heard something so vile was occurring right under their noses for so long? Had none of the cultists ever had a moment of selflessness and come clean to them?

No. Of course they didn't. The proof was right in front of him. In the back of his mind, he knew the possibility of this being a trick by Sixth in order to garner sympathy and make him lower his guard, but the pure raw emotion in her voice destroyed the idea that she might be lying.

And even as his mind was still left reeling, one particular sentence in her tirade stood out to him.

 _Mother's handball…?_

 _Wait…_

 _It couldn't be…._

With mechanical movements, he silently slipped the dart back into the pouch at his side and reached inside his jacket. Half his mind was screaming at him for doing something so stupid as disarming himself in front of the enemy, but the other was driving him constantly onwards with the pure knowledge that this was something he had to do.

"Tsubaki…?" He asked quietly, causing her to jerk her head up at him. "Did your mothers ball look something like this…?"

With painful slowness, he drew out the object he'd found underneath the bridge he'd used to hide from her followers. He'd never attached any real significance to it before. It was just something he'd picked up in order to use against her Clairvoyance Diary. The only real reason he'd picked it over any old rock was because it was so much more eye catching.

Sixth however, had a very different reaction to seeing it.

Her entire body froze in an instant. No more shaking. No more trembling. She wasn't even breathing. Her eyes had gone entirely blank, as though the sight of the ball he held was more than her mind could process in its current state.

"Wha… how… my…" Half formed words fell from her lips, her intact hand unconsciously rising up towards it. "You found… my mother's handball…?"

She took a shaky step forwards, once again shaking, but this time with an emotion far different than rage.

"Please… give it to me…!" She said urgently, taking another step. "Please! You have to give it back!"

As she drew closer, he took a meaningful step back, causing her to stop in her tracks. He willed his face to show nothing but solid determination as he fought down the nervous trepidation that curled around his spine.

"I'm not giving it to you for free." He stated evenly, gripping it tighter. "If you want it back, I need you to set Yuno free, and let the two of us leave this place immediately."

It was a risky maneuver. Though the ball was obviously important to her, he couldn't say for certain just how much sway it would have over her decision-making. And even if she did agree, she'd already turned on them once, so-

"All right!" She agreed immediately, speaking too forcefully to have put any serious thought into the statement. "You can both go free, just please! Give it back to me!"

He hadn't really expected her to agree so readily, but there was no way he was going to pass up such a development. Though he'd resolved to do whatever it took in order to save Yuno, he still didn't want to resort to killing. He might have been willing to, but his heart wasn't one which could end another's life in any but the most dire circumstances.

"T-Then we have a deal…" He replied, voice trembling slightly from being caught off guard in the best possible way.

His hand rose up, offering the ball to her. Though her own shook with emotion, she mirrored the gesture and closed the distance with cautions, hesitant movements. It was almost as though she feared he might snatch it away from her at the last moment, but his arm held it out steadily, letting her be the one to complete the gesture.

As her fingers gently closed over the ball, it was like a dam had broken in her heart. Several small hiccupping sounds ushered up from her chest as tears began to trickle from her eyes. Once again, Yuki was struck by just how many facets Tsubaki possessed in her personality.

With an air of awe and wonder, she cupped the toy and brought it to her chest, her damaged arm coming up to hold it as well even though it had no hand to do it with.

Despite the terrifying night he'd just endured, despite his own mixed feelings about the girl standing in front of him, Yuki actually found a small smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. Regardless of the events leading up to it, he couldn't see this as anything but a good deed.

Wearing a smile through her tearful expression, Sixth took a small back, cradling the ball like a newborn child.

"I never thought… that I'd see it again…" She said airily, "I never dared to hope that I'd find it…"

He opened his mouth to say something, but his words were halted when something unexpected happened. Unbeknownst to either of them, the aid that had been treating Tsubaki's hand hadn't been all that diligent in ensuring all the water she was using ended up back in the bucket. As such, several small puddles had formed on the ground where she'd been kneeling.

As Sixth took moved back again, her foot came down in one of those puddles. Having expected to feel solid flooring, she was instead greeted with slippery liquid, and her foot skidded out from underneath her. With a high-pitched yelp of surprise, she tried to right herself only to end up making things worse as she tipped towards the bath.

Acting on instinct, Yuki darted forwards in an attempt to catch the falling girl, reaching out to grab a hold of her hand. She answered in kind, extending her free arm towards him. In any other time, they might have caught each other and stopped what was coming. However, in the heat of the moment, they'd both forgotten one important factor.

Tsubaki's right arm no longer had a hand attached.

As his fingers clasped around open air, and she realized the mistake, her fall became inevitable as her center of gravity shifted beyond the point of no return. What's worse, his attempt to save her had caused him to pitch too far forwards and overbalance himself, causing him to follow in her metaphorical footsteps. Acting on a knee-jerk reaction to his self-preservation instincts, he managed to drop his phone and shed the jacket that contained Yuno's Diary on his way down, discarding the two of them on the floor so that they didn't get destroyed in the water.

Tsubaki hit the bath first with a splash, letting out a cry that was immediately swallowed up as the water rushed back in. Yuki followed a mere second later, closing his eyes and holding his breath automatically as he struck the surface. For a single breathless moment of vertigo, he was swathed in the warm embrace of the bathwater, held weightless in its depths.

As his brain kicked back in and he understood that this was _not_ a place he wanted to be right now, he started to push up towards the surface only to be halted as something wrapped around the back of his neck. Caught out by the sudden weight, a spray of bubbles issued from his mouth as he struggled to open his eyes and see what was dragging him down. The mess of water, color, and movement made discerning the cause of the disturbance impossible, and he was left with no other choice but to redouble his efforts and bring the both of them up.

Quite unexpectedly, the weight actually pushed with him, helping drive them up and break the surface which, in truth, had only been a couple of inches above his head.

Coming up into open air again, Yuki coughed and spluttered as the water that had made its way into his mouth and nose was ejected from his system. Once he'd cleared his airways enough to grasp the situation, he began to notice that he wasn't the only one making so much noise.

Blinking through the haze, he found Tsubaki's face exceedingly close to his own.

It should have been clear what had happened from the beginning. Dropped in the water as she was, she'd reached out to grasp the first thing she could, which just so happened to have been him. Her good arm was wrapped around his shoulders, still clutching the ball, while her other hovered just above the water, a small crimson splotch marring the otherwise clear liquid just underneath it.

In that moment, Yuki became painfully aware of several things.

For starters, he was more or less being hugged by Sixth, who was still in the process of recovering, the sudden dip causing her to snap out of the roiling emotions that had claimed her senses earlier.

Second, she was staring directly into his eyes, her own weaker ones shifting ever so slightly to adjust and focus on something so close.

Third, she was very, _very_ … naked…

With her outburst earlier, he'd been too shocked to take in the fact that she'd been standing unclothed in front of him for the duration. It simply hadn't registered through all of the events that had gone down. Now however, with the both of them dripping wet, and her chest pressing up against his own, he could no longer ignore it.

"Ah… uh… T-T-Tsubaki…!" He managed to stammer out, causing her to snap back to attention. "C-C-Could you let go...?"

It was then that she realized just what had happened. With a sharp noise of surprise, she pushed herself away form him and the two of them quickly waded to opposite ends of the tub.

Yuki's face was on fire as he braced himself against the side of the bath. Even with Yuno's actions exposing him to more embarrassing situations than he cared to think about recently, he was far from being able to brush past something like this. Sixth for her part looked distinctly less disturbed by the events, her own cheeks only coloring slightly in contrast to his turning bright red, but her expression made it clear that the sudden closeness hadn't been any more comfortable.

An awkward pause followed, neither quite sure what to do after the development.

When he'd managed to find his voice, Yuki coughed lightly, rubbing the back of his head in an uncertain gesture.

"Um… what happens now?" He ventured, his previous surety of purpose having been diminished now that the feeling of life and death had gone.

Tsubaki paused for a brief instant, looking down to the ball still held in her hand.

"I said you could go, and you can." She spoke quietly, casting a forlorn glance towards her rumpled kimono and ruined undergarments. "Give me a moment to get dressed, and I'll see to it that your friend is released."

That was it. As simple as he'd hoped, but more than he'd expected. He was alert to any sign that this might be a trick, but there was no sign of foul play in her voice. She simply sounded… tired. Worn. Hearing her speak in such a manner jolted him enough to see something he'd missed earlier.

"Wait…" He said, prompting her to stop in the middle of rising from the tub. "Does this mean you're staying here?"

She gave him a look as though he'd just asked whether water was wet or if fire burned.

"Of course." She replied, a questioning note entering her tone. "There's nowhere else for me. This is the only place I've ever known."

"But you just said that these people r-" His voice caught, not entirely comfortable with stating the word in such a blunt manner. "Er, hurt you. Why would you want to stay with them after that?"

For a second, it looked as though she were going to get annoyed with him, but she simply sighed.

"I just said, there's nowhere else for me." She repeated, giving him a sidelong glance. "Besides, don't you remember how my Clairvoyance Diary works? I can only see through the eyes of my followers. Regardless of what I think of them, I need them in order to have a chance of surviving this game. If I just walked away, I'd be an open target to the other competitors."

Little by little, his opinion of her was starting to shift. The way she spoke was as if reciting absolute fact. There was no doubt in her mind that the path she walked was the only one available to her, regardless of what he might think. It was enough to put a steel in his heart, knowing full well that to be trapped in such a way was far worse than she deserved.

"That's not true." He stated with conviction, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "Keigo, Yuno, and I have already agreed to work together to put an end to this. We don't need to kill one another. This game only ends in blood if we choose to keep to it like that. If you come work with us, we could help to protect you just like we did here."

What he said next was spoken without any thought beforehand. Had he stopped to consider his words, he almost certainly would have chosen differently, but by the time he saw that it was too late to undo.

"And you do have somewhere to go. You could come stay with me."

The weight of his offer slammed down on the two of them like a lead block, smothering anything that might have come afterwards. Her blank expression almost certainly matched the one that was currently sitting on his face as he went over what he'd just done.

…Come stay with him…?

…Had he really said that…?

…In what world could he have _possibly_ thought that was a good idea…!?

For starters, how in the hell would he explain to his mother that a strange girl she'd never met before had come to suddenly live with them? It wasn't like he could outright tell her about what had led up to this or how she'd lost her hand.

Speaking of her hand, what would Yuno have to say about such a thing? He could probably guess that it would involve very little talking, and an excessive amount of violence. Especially after what had happened on the bridge, trying to get the two of them to play nice sounded about as likely as convincing a wolverine to befriend a rabbit. A rabbit which had directly antagonized it once already at that, and threatened its safety.

But at the same time, this would be doing something good, right? Nobody deserved to be locked in a place like this. Nobody deserved to be used and abused in such a manner. The way he saw it, she'd already paid for betraying them through Yuno's impromptu surgery attempt. There was no reason she had to suffer further given the circumstances.

And maybe, just maybe, he wanted to do this for himself. To make a meaningful difference rather than let the world play out in front of him like he always did. He couldn't stay an observer forever, and this looked to be the perfect opportunity to step out from the shadows and take part in the world around him.

Of course, all of that was riding on the assumption that she'd go along with it. She was, after all, still one of the twelve, and there was no guarantee she wouldn't turn on them again in the future. Even so, he couldn't help wanting to find another way out of this mess he'd found himself in.

He'd already said it. He'd already said it, and he wasn't of the mind to take it back either. What came next was up to her.

"So…" He prompted, simply trying to break the silence. "What do you say…?"

* * *

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. It was too ludicrous to even consider. Tsubaki was dying. That had to be it. When Yuki had burst into the room, he must have let off a shot which pierced her Diary, and all of this was merely a vivid fever dream concocted by her failing mind to cope with the trauma of having her life snuffed out.

Her mother's ball, the fact that she was sitting naked in the tub across from a boy she'd only met recently, and of course his ridiculously absurd offer. It was all fake.

But nothing changed with her moment of insight. The world didn't fade back into the undeniable realm of reality, nor did her heart clench with the icy grip of the end taking her. If she wasn't able to wake up, that meant that either events had become so terrible that she couldn't bring herself to face them, or…

This was real.

"So… What do you say…?"

What did she say? What _could_ she say!? It was insane, even he had to see that, right!? She'd lived here her whole life, and he spoke of moving her into his own home as though it were as easy as shifting a pebble.

They were still enemies, so why in the world would he do that?

Clenching her jaw, she half-rose from her position and began moving through the water towards him. He tensed as she approached, stuttering out something that didn't quite take shape, but she paid his reaction little mind. She needed to get closer for one reason only.

As soon as she was within arm's reach, she stopped, focusing on his face intently. His features were still somewhat blurred, even from such a near distance, but it was enough for her purposes.

She sat quietly, drinking in every facet of his face as she searched for even the slightest hint of an underlying plot. Some subtle betrayal that he must have been concocting behind the seemingly kindhearted offer. People weren't generous. They didn't do things such as this, especially not for those who had gone against them once already. There had to be something else going on.

Try as she might though, she couldn't find any sign of deceit in his eyes.

"Uh… are you all right?" He questioned, sounding nervous. Whether this was because he feared another attempt on his life or simply because she wasn't wearing any clothing was unclear.

Sixth didn't answer. She was too consumed with her own thoughts to come up with a response. He was telling the truth. That, or he was an exceptionally good liar. Given what she knew of him, the latter didn't seem likely, so that only left the idea that he was serious.

But that merely returned her to the question of why?

She didn't know, and she doubted she'd ever be able to fully understand, but she knew one thing for certain. She knew she wasn't safe here. Already, every other Diary holder she'd encountered had managed to counteract her Clairvoyance Diary and her followers to threaten her safety. It was only through the efforts of the boy in front of her that she was even still alive.

She didn't want to die. She wasn't sure whether she could give up on her dream of wiping away the invisible world around her, but she knew she didn't want to die. As maddened as his offer was, he was giving her protection and security in exchange for cooperation. Even so, she couldn't very well just trust him on his word could she?

No, she couldn't. But she knew one way to make certain that he didn't turn against her.

"Yukitero Amano." She said meaningfully. "I would like to accept your offer, but there's something I need from you first."

It was hard to tell what surprised him more. The fact that she'd accepted, or that she was asking something else in addition. He gave her a questioning look, urging her to explain.

Tsubaki braced herself against the knot of tension that was rolling in her gut at that moment. She didn't want to do this. She _really_ didn't, but there was no alternative. It would ensure that he was loyal to her, and that her safety didn't disappear like so many other things she'd cherished. She was, if nothing else, a survivor.

Taking a breath to steady herself, she prepared to endure this newest pain the same way she had so many times in the past.

"If I go with you, I'll be truly blinded." She explained, fixing him with a serious, unblinking gaze. "I'd be entirely dependent on your goodwill for my own survival. I'm afraid that, given the situation, that simply isn't enough. So, if your offer remains open, I think that the best way for this to work would be if you… were to… become one of… my followers…"

She stumbled slightly over the last bit, betraying the sense that this was far from her preferred option.

"You want me to join your religion?" He asked quizzically, his brows knitting together in confusion. "How would that help?"

"Not join my cult, merely… make the pact…" She tried to explain. "It would allow me to see through your eyes. Your suggestion would have me entirely at your mercy. This at least would give me some ability to protect myself by being aware of everything that you are should danger come."

He nodded, seeming to understand where she was coming from in that regard. It was a relief really. Had he simply stated that she was asking for far more than she deserved, it wasn't like she could put up much of a defense after the events that had transpired.

"But what does that have to do with-"

That was when it hit him, and boy did it _really_ hit him.

Yuki's mouth dropped open as all sense of composure was forcibly blown away. His face turned bright red, only to shift to deathly pale, and transition back again while his entire body shook. She was willing to bet that dropping a venomous snake around his neck wouldn't have drawn up such a reaction.

"Y-Y-You want m-me to… w-with you…? H-Here…? N-Now…!?"

She wanted to cringe, but instead forced a small smile onto her face. This was going to be more difficult than she'd suspected.

"You don't have to worry." She assured. "This is only a means of binding the two of us. It doesn't carry any weight beyond the formation of our pact."

As soon as she'd said that, it occurred to her that using words like 'binding' and 'pact' might not have been the best option.

"Now it's my turn to ask; what do you say?"

* * *

Stop the world, Yuki wants to get off.

Oh god, not like that! Damn it, even his thoughts were undermining him…

How had she managed to turn his simple offer into something so… dirty? All he'd wanted to do was find a way for this to end happily. Without killing one another, or leaving each other to be picked off. Now she was propositioning him!?

Logically speaking, he could understand the strategic thinking behind it. This was an insurance policy. She would get and advanced warning on any threat that was headed her way so long as he knew about it. Still, even as off-kilter as he was feeling at the moment, he could pick up on the fact that she was forcing herself to go through with this. Numerous emotions sprung to mind as an appropriate response to such a development, but one ruled out above all others.

Pity.

She was willing to put herself through a special kind of torture because she couldn't trust him. The damage of her past was driving her to relive it once again, and he doubted that anything he could say would smooth over that ragged scar.

Very slowly, he began to calm himself as her strangely colored eyes continued to watch him with a silent vigil.

"Tsubaki…" He said softly. "I won't. Not like this."

She drew back as though she'd been struck, narrowing her eyes and opening her mouth. He cut her off with a quick gesture.

"You don't want this." He pointed out, stopping her retort. "I would never force something like this on someone else. I'm sorry if you can't put your faith in me, but hurting yourself like this isn't going to make it better."

She placed her treasured handball to one side before slumping down into the water until only her head and shoulders were above its surface. Though she wasn't looking at him, he could see the conflict on her features clearly enough. She was trapped in a rut. She couldn't stay because she was in danger. She couldn't go because she might be putting herself in danger. She was blinded in more ways than one, and there was no way for her to be certain which path would lead to the best result.

He could have gotten up and left right then. This decision was hers to make after all. It was down to what she thought and what she could bring herself to do. He could have walked out at that point and left her to decide on her own.

But he didn't leave. Against his better judgment, he moved closer. She didn't notice his actions until he'd begun to lean in. Seeing his shadow in the water next to her caused her to jump and whip around.

"Wai- Just what are you do-"

Her protest halted as he gently put his arms around her shoulders, causing her to tense like a spring. Thanks to the angle, and the fact that he wasn't willing to pull her closer without express permission, the gesture was rather awkward, but its intent was clear. He was hugging her.

"I know it doesn't mean much." He began, speaking softly into her ear. "But you don't have to be scared. I know what that's like. I know that it's bad, but I'm serious when I say that I want to make this better. Please, let me help you."

"F-First…?"

He'd long since passed the point where he could say he knew what he was doing. His comfort zone was far back from the world, comfortably removed from the going-ons of others' lives. Trying to comfort another, especially to such a drastic degree, was beyond what he was used to. He could only trust his heart to tell him what to do, and it was urging him to reach out to the girl in front of him.

Several breaths passed, and then several more. Slowly, like a tiny animal poking its head from its den, Tsubaki began to relax. She didn't sink into the gesture like he'd seen people do on television shows and movies, but neither did she push him off the way he'd expected.

"You stupid virgin boy…" She said without conviction. "Just what's wrong with that head of yours?"

Knowing that any answer he might give went without saying, he merely gave a low hum in response. After an indiscernible time, Sixth shifted in his arms, pulling back slightly and turning to face him. Her eyes didn't hold the same prying intensity they'd possessed a moment ago, and he actually found himself admiring their hazy depths now that they were tranquil.

Acting on an urge he didn't fully understand, one of his hands rose up from the bathwater and tentatively reached towards her face. She eyed the approaching appendage but didn't shrink away from it. With a slight nervous tremor, he softly brushed the blanket of hair covering the right side of her face away to get an unimpeded view of her face.

The effect was quite drastic. Having her features covered had always given her a slightly guarded appearance, even when in casual conversation. Without its shield, she looked several years younger, and far less threatening.

Yuki could feel his heartbeat picking up. He couldn't deny that she was beautiful. It wasn't the kind of beauty that inspired thoughts of lust and sin, but rather a kind of tragic elegance of one who'd been so terribly wronged. It made him want to hold her close and to assure her that things would be all right, even if he knew the damage had already been done.

"First…"

Hearing his title spoken in such a soft sigh was enough to draw him out of the small daze he'd found himself in. He'd been staring, and now that he refocused, he found he wasn't the only one. Her eyelids had drifted downwards a touch giving her a distant expression, as though looking into something he himself couldn't hope to see.

Her breath tickled his neck, causing his already racing pulse to drive even further with things he knew he shouldn't be thinking about. Even to one with no experience in romantic situations, he could see the intent behind her gaze.

"I already told you." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not going to make you do anything like that. I'd never force that on you."

A tiny, sad smile fixed itself on her face.

"I know." She agreed, inching closer. "And for what it's worth, I believe you. You're too innocent for something like that."

Never before had he heard the word 'innocent' used simultaneously as an insult and a compliment.

"…But what if I told you that this wasn't something you were forcing me to do? What if I told you that I was doing this because I wanted to? What then…?"

He had no answer to that.

Something had changed in her features. As she asked him the question, it was almost as though she were asking herself at the same time. Yuki hadn't the faintest idea what he wanted to happen here, and he was willing to bet that she didn't either.

Time seemed to slow down as Tsubaki leaned forwards. He could count the centimeters as the distance between the two of the closed. All the while, he knew that he should pull back. He should speak up. He should stop this. It would have been the sane thing to do.

But given the amount of insanity he'd endured up to this point, maybe he was willing to make an insane choice.

He didn't move away, and when their lips met, it was vastly different from the first time they'd kissed.

On the bridge, it had been about dominance. She was reminding him just how fragile and powerless he was. She'd forced herself through his defenses and taken his mouth against his will in order to make it clear that she was the mistress and he her prisoner.

This was gentle. Hesitant. Intimate even. Despite himself, he felt an electric thrill shoot up his spine at the simple contact. Unknowingly, he closed his eyes and eased into the kiss, only to have her pull back.

For a moment, she held position a few inches away from his face, searching him for something he could only guess at while biting her bottom lip uncertainly. He didn't have long to wait however, as she soon leaned back in and met him once again.

It should have felt wrong. He was kissing someone who'd threatened his life and betrayed his trust. Someone who'd taken his friend hostage and had only shown some semblance of mercy after she'd been reunited with a strange toy from her past. Still, right or wrong, he couldn't deny one simple fact.

It felt incredible.

One of his hands rose up and buried itself in her dripping hair to cup the back of her head while hers pressed against his chest to steady herself. Each peck was like a jolt to his system. Each prolonged press of their mouths was like being held underwater by blazing arms, leaving him both hot and cold while robbing him of his breath. His other arm rose out of the water, moving towards her bare shoulder when-

"Gah!"

Reeling back with a pained cry, Tsubaki broke their contact and sent up a wave of water that doused his face. Spluttering as his heart leapt into his throat, Yuki just about jumped out of the tub.

"What is it?" He asked frantically, wiping his eyes against the sheen of water that blinded him. "What's wrong?"

His mind conjured up images of other Diary holders finding them in their moment of weakness and striking out with lethal intent. Twelfth was still alive and had just burst into the room behind him, preparing to cut the two of them down in a storm of violence. Ninth had broken free and was just in the process of depressing the detonator which would reduce the two of them to broken corpses in a fiery explosion.

But as he cleared his vision, the real cause of her distress became apparent, and struck him like a boulder to the chest.

Sixth was cradling her severed hand tenderly, blinking back a wetness in her eyes which betrayed just how much the touch had hurt. In the heat of the moment, he'd forgotten about her injury entirely. When he'd reached up to hold her, he'd brushed right up against it without thinking.

Slumping back down into the bath like a puppet with its strings cut, he reflected on just how stupid a move that had been.

His first instinct was to sit back and wait for her to recover before offering up some sort of apology for his thoughtless action. It was the safest route. If he tried to move and help, he could make the damage worse and further harm the girl he was trying to aid. That was the last thing he wanted.

Still, he'd moved beyond the realm of safety long ago.

Cautiously making his way forwards, he crept up to her side, causing her to look up sharply. Her gaze softened somewhat when he got near enough for her to see the regret on his face.

"I'm sorry." He said honestly, knowing full well that the words made little difference in the face of losing a hand. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

She opened her mouth only to close it again, turning her face to one side. He thought he might have spotted a blush on her face for a moment, but he couldn't be certain.

"Yes. You can." She replied unexpectedly. "Take your shirt off."

And just when he'd been starting to get control of himself again too.

"T-Take my… what?" He asked. "How would that…? Why…?"

She turned ever so slightly, peering at him with a touch of mischief in her features.

"You want to help, don't you?" She asked, her tone making it clear that it was a loaded question. "The best way to help in a situation like this is to distract the one in pain. So I'll say again. Take. Your. Shirt. Off."

Had her previous expression of anguish not been so genuine, he might have thought she'd faked the whole thing just to trap him like this. Rather than try to find a way around the request, he swallowed heavily before hooking his fingers underneath the fabric of his shirt. By now, the entire thing was soaked down to the core so pulling it off wasn't as simple as it should have been, but after several seconds of struggling he managed to pry it off his skin and drop it beside the tub.

He had time for several shaky breaths before she moved forwards once again. Her index finger reached out, pressing lightly against his pectoral muscles and tracing down to his stomach before reversing back up. Her couldn't help but shift self-consciously under her touch, tensing up as her hand brushed against his ticklish ribs. She felt his reaction and took no small amount of enjoyment from teasing those sensitive areas and having him squirm to her tune.

He wasn't about to relinquish himself so easily however, and rather than be backed into a corner, he began brushing his hands against her sides and exposed stomach. He didn't have much space to work with given that he was unwilling to go any higher or any lower at the moment, but the light, girlish gasp that emanated from her mouth was enough to tell him that his chosen target was working. She leaned in once again, and this time he moved to meet her halfway, sealing their kiss in the calm waters of the bath. His hands drifted around to her back where they could move freely without fear of drifting to certain areas before she was ready, and began rubbing up and down the length in a backwards massage causing a pleasing sound to usher from the back of her throat.

He felt something pressing against their joined lips and had only a moment to prepare himself before her tongue slid into his mouth. He could have stopped it had he wanted to, she wasn't forcing it on him the way she had earlier, but each passing second was forcing him to realize that he wanted this more and more. Moving past his doubts, he returned the gesture in kind, gently probing his own tongue forwards, and was met with another approving noise from the girl who was almost sitting in his lap at this point.

The feelings were overpowering. Her nearness, mixed with the weightless feeling of the water around them, added to her taste, and topped off by her scent filling his nose, was more than enough to drag him further into her embrace, running his hands down to her upper thigh.

For a short while, the pair continued on with their kissing, touching, and rubbing, pausing only when one of them needed to breathe. Yuki could feel some kind of tension building up in his chest, but unlike the fear and despair he'd known previously, this was a much more attractive kind. He wanted more, and the deep blush that was starting to color Tsubaki's features left him knowing he wasn't the only one.

That was when she upped the ante.

Her hand slid down his stomach once again, but this time it didn't stop at his waist. A decidedly unmanly squeak of surprise leapt from his mouth as her finger moved down across his pants and began sliding along his lower member.

"What's the matter virgin boy?" She questioned with a coy smile. "Don't tell me you didn't see this coming."

He had on some level, but the effect wasn't diminished despite this. Feeling some sting to his pride, he very nearly mimicked her action. Her nether regions were exposed, and had he wanted to, he could have easily gone after them from this position.

But his hesitance held him back. This was all out of his depth, and he didn't want to ruin the moment by moving too quickly. Besides, he had another target he could go after to draw a reaction.

His hands slid away from her back, coming around her sides, and moving upwards. A light shiver ran through her body as she saw where he was headed, but the only acknowledgement she gave was a small smile daring him to proceed.

He did.

Coming up to her chest, he allowed his fingers to cup her sizable breasts, running both of his thumbs back and forth across her sensitive skin and feeling her tremble a bit as her blush deepened.

Now he was faced with a small problem. Put simply, he hadn't the slightest idea of what he was meant to do with them.

Spending most of his life in the background meant that he missed out on a lot of the more subtle things that passed from person to person. The 'not if you have to ask' information was lost to the gap he'd enforced on himself, and details like how to properly please a girl were obtained mostly through secondhand, and often unreliable, sources.

But his gut was telling him to move, and he was willing to trust it.

Gently, he began squeezing and kneading her chest, applying differing pressure experimentally and gauging her reaction to see which had the best effect. She answered his efforts by moving up and placing her arms around his neck and her knee between his legs, grinding against his inner thigh as the both of them started to gasp.

Despite the fact that the water was only moderately warm at this point, Yuki felt as though he were on fire. As his hands worked over her upper body, and her leg pressed into his most sensitive area, he leaned forwards and kissed her once more. It was the first one that he'd initiated.

His fingers soon found themselves closing around the pink tips dotting her breasts, rubbing and tweaking them lightly. She bucked in his grasp, clenching her teeth as a low moan was caught in her chest. For a moment he feared the reaction might have been negative, but she quickly leaned into the kiss once more, making soft sensuous sounds as he continued to stimulate the points.

Noticing something he likely should have spotted sooner, he realized that her rubbing against him was a one-way gesture. It might not have stood out were it not for the fact that he could change that.

His other leg rose, coming into contact with her inner areas and causing her to jump. For a brief instant, surprise showed on her face until she understood what the meaning of the movement had been. When she did, an almost predatory smile took shape on her face as she resumed the rubbing, this time using his offered limb to reciprocate the gesture.

It was dizzying. Almost to the point where he was feeling delirious. Even ignoring the strangeness of the situation, the sheer amount of sensation coming from every one of his nerves was enough to make his head spin. He was both terribly afraid of, and terribly eager to, lose himself in those waves of pleasure that were coming from all sides. The water lapping against the tub and their bodies, as well as the sounds issuing from their mouths were driving him mad.

He was so engrossed in their combined movements that he didn't notice her good arm leaving his shoulders until she slowed to a stop. Blinking open the eyes he hadn't realized he'd closed, he saw her reaching down towards his pants.

Yuki was powerless to stop her. Utterly unable to do anything but aid her efforts as she began pulling the article of clothing down. His thumbs pushed into his belt and pushed along with her. No sooner had the drenched pair of pants been dropped along with his other wet clothing, than she repeated the movement with his underwear. Though his mind was still very afraid of what they were doing, he allowed her to free him from the last bit of fabric on his person.

His member, having long since risen fully, was exposed before the eyes of perhaps the last person he'd ever expected to be doing this with.

Tsubaki licked her lips as though mentally preparing herself before moving above him. Her breathing had picked up, and her lower folds hovered just above his tip. He felt his own pulse skyrocket in response to what was about to happen.

"Wait!" He said suddenly, grabbing her hips and stopping her. "I told you, I don't want to force you to do something like this! It isn't right!"

Her intact hand reached down slowly, pressing against his chest and splaying out over his heart. She didn't mock his timidity this time. She simply kept her palm on him until his heartbeat started to lower back down to a more normal rate.

"First…" She began, giving him a meaningful look. "Do you really think you're forcing me to do this…?"

He gulped, unsure of how best to respond. Sure she'd been the one taking the lead this whole time, but after her confession and the situation regarding her safety, he couldn't help but feel that he was somehow driving this against her will.

"Relax." She said, leaning down to given him a gentle kiss. "You don't want me calling you 'virgin boy' forever, do you…?"

Anything he might have said was replaced with a sharp intake of breath as she lowered herself down, opening to take in the head of his lower part. The sensation was incredible. Enough to cause a shockwave of pleasure shooting through his skull like an atomic blast. Her warmth and tightness clamped down onto him, wiping away most conscious thought in the blink of an eye.

The intensity of the feeling only increased as she progressed downwards. He could feel her inner walls working to accommodate his girth, rapid breathy noises bubbling up from her core as she descended. After a blissfully mind-numbing eternity, her hips connected with his, her rear end resting on his legs. Looking at her right then, there were a thousand things he could have thought, but only one made itself known in his mind.

She was truly gorgeous.

"You see…?" She offered, her voice shaking with tinges of pleasure. "It's nice… when it's like this… You just have to let yourself enjoy it."

Even as she began moving up and down along his length, driving his thoughts to nothing more than the blind acceptance of this incredible feeling, he couldn't help but wonder how honest she was being. Had she ever actually enjoyed this? Given her reaction earlier, he found it hard to believe that her captors took any care for her well being during the process, much less her pleasure. He didn't just want to do this for the sake of the sensations he was feeling. He didn't just want to do this in order to reassure her. What he wanted, what he _really_ wanted, was for her to enjoy it just as much as he was.

As her up and down progress sloshed the water in their bath, he shifted forwards, nuzzling his face into her neck and causing her to give a questioning murmur.

He didn't say anything. Instead, he began planting kisses across the soft skin of her throat, slowly working his way upwards and drawing out more of those intoxicating vocalizations from her. His mouth progressed around her chin even as their lower bodies continued the intimate back and forth dance. He moved up across her cheek, coming to her eyes which had been closed to better embrace the moment. Very lightly, as though fearful he might damage her if he touched too hard, he pressed his lips to her eyelid, causing her to gasp.

"Tsubaki." He began quietly, dropping another kiss on her other eye. "I want you to know, no matter what happens, I'll be there for you."

She was gripping him tighter and tighter with her insides, but their movements never slowed. The increased resistance served to drive them both further and further towards the brink as they pushed onwards. Their breath intermingled in each thrust. Their hearts beat wildly with each press of their bodies. For that moment, nothing existed except the two of them in those turbulent waters kicked up by their lovemaking.

"I-I-I want you t-to know…" He continued, trying desperately to retain his sense of coherency against the tide of ecstasy. "T-That I'll d-do whatever it t-takes… t-to make sure we all make it through this!"

Though she didn't answer out loud, her arms had wrapped tighter around him, pressing them together and grinding against one another with every driving movement.

"F-F-First?" She stammered, digging her nails into his back.

"T-Tsubaki…?"

Each time she tried to speak, little half-formed moans filled the air. It was enough though, for him to understand, and he answered as best he could by joining their lips once again. She accepted the gesture hungrily, pressing against him with every bit of strength she could muster.

It was coming. The pressure that had been steadily building up since they'd started their act was reaching a fever pitch. Her jerks and twitches only served to speed their actions, causing the waters around them to thrash like an oceanic storm. What had started so tentatively had become a whirlwind of feeling and emotion between the pair.

Without warning, her walls slammed down on his shaft with extreme force and her entire body shook with tension. As the muffled cry of ecstasy ran up through her and into his mouth, he felt himself lose control as well.

His mind went utterly white as a euphoria like he'd never known blanketed everything in a blinding haze of pure sensation. All the tension that had built up exploded outwards, rocking him straight to his center and drowning him in bliss. Never had he imagined that any one action could cause such a dramatic experience.

With painful slowness, the tidal wave of pleasure slowly ebbed away, and the two of them collapsed into each other's arms, panting as their bodies came back down from the high.

For a long while, Yuki merely basked in the afterglow of the event, holding the girl he'd called a friend, an enemy, and now a lover all in such a short time.

"Did you mean it?"

The words were spoken so delicately that he'd nearly missed them. Forcing his eyes to refocus, he found Tsubaki's face an inch from his own.

"Did you mean… what you said?" She asked again.

This time, he didn't feel any hesitation. Rubbing one hand across her back, he leaned in to hug her.

"Of course I did." He assured. "I would never-"

He was cut off suddenly as a moderately loud buzzing filled the air. Both of them looked up sharply to his discarded jacket which was currently in the middle of having a spasm attack. Beside it, his phone was currently mimicking the gesture as it blinked up at him, signaling that the future had been changed.

"Er, just a second." He offered awkwardly, causing her to smile with a stifled laugh.

Moving away from the girl and leaning over the side of the tub, he deftly picked up his Diary and flipped it open. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but he was fairly certain it wasn't going to be easy to deal with.

He was right.

The moment he read the message inside, his eyes snapped wide open and a surge of adrenaline shot through his system. Turning frantically to Tsubaki without pausing to explain, he gestured for her to take cover.

"You need to hide!" He ordered, nearly shouting. "NOW!"

* * *

Yuno's pilfered ax made short work of the door to the bathhouse. She was exhausted. Worn down. Fatigued beyond belief. But none of that mattered. Yuki was in danger, and she'd fight to the bitter end against anyone who got in her way.

The five guards who'd been keeping her held down would have been more than enough to restrain any normal girl, but Yuno Gasai was anything but normal. All it took was a bit of time for her to get her strength back. After a brief, bloody struggle, five new bodies had been left to decorate the temple. She knew that Sixth had been heading this way when she'd departed, and she knew that Yuki would likely be trying to target her directly, meaning she had to follow.

Thankfully, the only other guards she'd run into on the way there was a single woman who looked as though she were recovering from a blow to the head. She'd taken on look at Yuno and fled like a bat out of hell. Luckily for her, the pink haired girl wasn't interested in hunting small fry.

Bursting into the room with the full intent of joining a battle already in progress, she was caught completely off guard by what she found.

The room bore signs of a struggle, with bathwater having been spilled over most of the floor and more than a few items knocked about. Yuki was standing alone in the middle, his clothing soaked and rumpled like they'd been thrown on in a rush. Strangely, his jacket seemed to be the only thing that wasn't completely saturated with water.

Upon her dramatic entrance, he raised one hand in greeting.

"Hey there Yuno!" He said, speaking with a touch of forced cheer. "I was just about to come get you."

She stalled, looking back and forth in confusion.

"Yuki? What happened?" She asked, furrowing her brows. "Where's Sixth?"

He flinched at the mention of the other Diary Holder's number as though afraid of something. Seeing that made her grip on the ax tighten viciously. If that witch had hurt him in any way, she'd-

"Sixth… won't be a threat anymore…" He assured, casting his eyes down and rubbing the back of his head.

That was when she understood. Yuki wasn't a killer. Ending the false priestess's life must have hurt him. That was why he looked so uneasy. Determined to make things better, Yuno let the weapon she was holding drop to the floor with a clatter before running up and throwing her arms around him.

"It's all right Yuki." She said. "You did what you had to do."

Her words caused him to stiffen considerably. Poor thing.

"Yeah…" He replied, giving her a quick return hug before pulling back. "Hey, this is yours by the way."

Reaching into his jacket pocket, he drew out her Diary and handed it back to her, causing a beaming smile to encompass her face. She happily accepted her treasured item, stowing it away to reexamine later.

"Thank you Yuki!" She said, giving him a peck on the cheek. "I'm glad you're all right. When I heard that Sixth was sending out people to look for you, I got worried."

He offered up a shaky grin in response, rubbing his shoulder.

"I probably would have been caught if it weren't for you." He admitted. "Your diary helped me sneak past them and get through without being spotted. Thanks for that."

She felt the warmth of contentment spring up in her chest at his gratitude. Even if he wasn't as all right as he claimed to be right now, they would move past this eventually, and the two of them would grow closer. She was sure of it.

"Say, Yuno?" He asked, looking up. "Would you mind looking for the detective? There's still one last thing I'd like to do here, and I think it would be better if I did it alone."

Normally she'd have preferred to stay with him. This was still enemy territory after all, but something about the pleading expression on his face convinced her otherwise.

"Okay." She consented. "But don't be too long."

With one last smiling glance his way, she turned back to the destroyed entrance and departed. Wherever she was going, he was sure that she'd manage to find their mutual friend before too long.

Speaking of friends…

Once Yuki was sure she was out of earshot, he tapped his foot against the side of the bath. The effect was instantaneous. Tsubaki burst up from the water like a mermaid, gasping for breath as she showered him in droplets and wiped the excess streams from her face. After several moments, she managed to recover enough to look up to him.

"That… was… close…" She sputtered.

"You're telling me." He agreed, closing his eyes. That was something he hadn't even considered up until now. How exactly was he going to explain this to Yuno? It wasn't like he could flat out tell her that he and Sixth had just had sex. She'd cut off the girl's hand after a single kiss, so there was no telling what would happen if this got out.

"This complicates things." Tsubaki remarked, standing up from the water and stepping out of the tub. He couldn't help but take a moment to admire her figure before turning back to the still-dangerous topic at hand.

"Yeah." He conceded. "But I'll think of something."

At her raised eyebrow, he went on.

"I mean, Yuno's possessive but…" He'd been about to say 'she's not insane' but he was no longer certain of that after seeing what was in her house. "…I promised. So that's all that matters. I'll find a way to see this through. Don't worry about that."

She gave him a humoring giggle as she moved to retrieve her things from behind the tub where they'd been hastily hidden away. He made to help her when she began to don her kimono, but she waved away the aid and slid into the robe with surprising ease despite having only one hand to do it with.

When it came to tying the sash however, she had no choice but to let him as he stepped forwards.

"Is that too tight?" He asked, feeling the fabric close around her belly.

"It's perfectly fine." She answered, stepping back to retrieve the rest of her items. She shifted her Diary to her injured arm, holding her mother's precious handball in her palm. "Thank you."

"Do you want me to try and distract the others so you can slip out?" He offered, knowing full well that despite his assurances, having her leave in plain sight with them wasn't a possibility.

"No. That's all right." She said, leaning forwards to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "There's still a few things I need to take care of, and I think I'll have to part from you for now in order to see to them."

"But you'll be coming back, right?" He asked, slightly concerned by her tone. She smiled in response.

"Yes." She said. "I'm not… I won't be staying here much longer. When I'm able, I'll find you again. Until then…"

She moved towards him again, and he aided the gesture, meeting her halfway as they kissed. Though he held the moment for as long as he could, it passed far too quickly for his liking.

"I'll see you again soon." She promised, drawing back. Part of him wanted to reach out and hold her back, but he knew that it was an impossible hope for them to find a way out right now. Instead, he merely let the sad smile on his face rest as she turned away with a final gesture of farewell. As she left through the broken down door, a long sigh drew out from his frame.

This had been a day of unexpected twists. Unforeseen turns. Unknown factors. Unimaginable choices. He still wasn't entirely sure whether he'd chosen right or not, but he couldn't bring himself to regret the actions he'd taken. Sure it would be damned difficult to find a way to convince Yuno to be civil with Tsubaki, but…

Wait…

Yuno.

He snapped ramrod straight as reality hit him like a bolt of lightning.

Yuno's Diary kept tabs on him in ten-minute intervals…

He'd given her back the Diary…

She could see everything he did…

She could see…

Oh god no…

Distantly, he became aware that his phone had started vibrating in his pocket. Without even bothering to look down and see what new horrible fate had been written out for him, he sprinted out the door and in the opposite direction Yuno had taken. He knew it wouldn't do any good. She could follow him wherever he went. He wasn't able to hide from her, but the basic drive for survival that held sway over his heart refused to lay down and accept his imminent demise.

Whipping around a corner, he silently bemoaned his fate.

Why did life have to be so complicated?


End file.
